not your standard yoga…on demand now
Back in 2020-22, with Covid raging away, I taught “not your standard” yoga weekly on line. An interesting interlude we were grateful to share. The final 55 classes, became an ambitious dive into experiential anatomy, a subject I offer yoga teachers in training. There is nothing like rolling around, feeling body in motion as you learn anatomy. Turns out our bodies are our own best textbooks. Wasn’t sure if my weekly students would be intrigued, but those on the regular were quite articulate about how much they received from a practice steeped in geek. Why? I’ll let you speak:
“I’m feeling better, walking better, my posture is improving, my spine is more flexible, my body awareness has increased exponentially and I can sense and activate the psoas muscle for the first time ever! Very grateful to you.” L.N.
Pragmatic reasons…and then there’s the esoteric, poetic, intangible so well-articulated by Gretel Ehrlich:
“If I held a match to my heart, would I be able to see its workings, would I know my body the way I know a city, with its internal civilization of chemical messengers, electric storms, cellular cities in which past, present, and future are contained, would I walk the thousand miles of arterial roadways, branching paths of communication, and coiled tubing for waste and nutrients, would I know where the passion to live and love comes from?”
Bringing attention to the body in this way can deliver us to our deepest imaginings, connect us with our destiny, breathe us into freedom. It took me a bit of effort but I’m thrilled these recordings are now available on-demand. Each class begins with a visual exploration of a particular body territory. Eight body chapters of guided movement instruction paired with anatomy fascination. Students report that they love doing 30 minutes at a time. Each session invites you to move at your own pace, tune in, inhabit your body from inside out. Intimately know “where the passion to live and love comes from.”
A few weeks ago I was shoreline walking at high tide. The mushy sand sloped a dangerous 45 degrees to the water line. I guess it was more slog than walk. But I felt strong, invincible, maybe a wee bit proud. Next day I felt weak and stupid. My left hip was beyond achy. See that area just below the boney edge of the pelvis? So many of us experience pain and discomfort here. I was not surprised!
So scroll through the video library and appreciate. From me to you. And not just muscle, bone, fascia. Includes an entire chapter on organ body, another on nervous system and yet another exploring the energetic body though the chakras. Choose a body part focus or work through them all as you loosen, lengthen and strengthen your entire being. All classes freely offered, donations gratefully accepted.
Move, heal, learn…discover the incredible way your anatomy works for you. And let’s practice together sometime soon.
❤️Bella